Whether the use of safety equipment is required at a construction site to prevent death or injury is always a paramount concern. Of particular concern here is the hazard that is presented when a staircase is being constructed for a building, and is to be used during construction, but which remains unprotected for extended periods of time. Specifically, the hazardous condition is created when such staircases have no guardrails to prevent workers from falling off the otherwise unprotected staircase.
Heretofore, when it has been recognized that a guardrail is essential for an unprotected staircase at a construction site, the needed guardrail has been typically constructed using on-site materials. Subsequently, when the temporary guardrail is to be replaced, or is no longer needed, the materials that were used for constructing the guardrail are merely discarded.
With the above in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a temporary guardrail for an otherwise unprotected staircase, using prefabricated sections, which can be assembled on site and installed on the staircase. Another object of the present invention is to provide a temporary guardrail for an unprotected staircase which can be disassembled after use, removed from a construction site, and then reused at another construction site. Still another object of the present invention is to provide prefabricated sections for a temporary guardrail, wherein the individual sections of the guardrail can be reconfigured into compact units to facilitate transport between different construction sites. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a temporary guardrail for a staircase which is easy to assemble, is simple to install, and is comparatively cost effective.